My Mother Never Taught Me Not To Point

30th January 2022

Michael’s room is barely lit.

The only light is coming from his bathroom and kitchen. He’s working out in this blue darkness, headphones blasting really loud music.

Adele.

There’s something soothing about her soft voice through his high-bass headphones. He’s playing from his iPad because his iPhone doesn’t play the music as loudly. Michael has had this iPad for two years now. A birthday gift from his now-late aunt, who took care of him since he was a baby. He wears fingerless gloves during his workout.

31st January 2022

Work

Michael is a busboy. He works at a burger stop called Corporal Lance. He’s been working there for the last 4 years. He never went to college. Aunt Lauren told him he could teach at a school, but he didn’t think they would hire him. He also didn’t get a degree because he thought the world was going to end in 2020. He was very disappointed when the quarantine was lifted because it meant having to see his neighbours and landlord again.

Regardless, he lived a simple life. During the day, he went to work, listening to his music. Did what he was supposed to do with the dishes and then left. Listening to his music. The job wasn’t all bad. For example, Michael would take the leftovers and gather them in his bowl. Take them home and microwave it to eat.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for him, though.

Once, Michael broke a plate by accident, and his boss got very mad and yelled at him.

Michael got very upset at his mean boss because he didn’t understand why he was so angry.

“It was just a plate after all; the restaurant had so many plates they could just pick a new plate. Why was he so upset about a plate?“

The boss's yelling was getting louder and louder, and Michael just couldn’t handle it any more.

So he threw the plates at him.

And then jumped him.

Beating him repeatedly over and over and over again. Mary-Anne and Julian had to take Michael off his boss and calm him. Michael was suspended for two weeks, and his boss quit.

1st February 2022

School

Night school was home away from home for Michael. The classroom was small with white walls and pictures of animals on the wall. It was bright, more than what Michael could tolerate, but it was soothing sometimes.  The AC didn’t work for some reason, just the ceiling fan. And the classroom smelled like powder and lavender. Every class was different. The teacher would ask Michael every day if he could say the alphabet. Michael would say all 13 letters of the alphabet, and his teacher would give him

candy. Sometimes he would hear his classmates say more than 13, and Mrs Carpenter would give them candy even though they were wrong.

She was so kind.

On some days, they’d play a game called cross the room. Mrs Carpenter or one of the students would say something and if you agreed you’ll walk across the room and if you

didn’t agree, you’ll stay where you are. He used to go with his aunt Lauren, but ever since she died he’s been going alone.

He takes the bus through to West Bay, where Corporal Lance is, then he passes City Mall.

He’s never been to City Mall. Then he passes the hospital where he and Aunt Lauren used to visit his uncle Anthony. It’s a really scary place with really scary doctors and

nurses. 

His night school is a few minutes away from the hospital; that’s how they found it.

His aunt died just a few months after quarantine. Lauren was a driving instructor and was teaching a student on Saturday. It’s usually never a problem with this particular learner

But that day, on the highway, the car just wouldn’t brake. It skidded off the road, and they crashed. 

They didn’t die on impact.

Lauren was so disfigured that Michael couldn’t identify her when he was first called to the hospital. It took her work colleagues to convince Michael that it was her.

She could’ve been saved, but the bills. They couldn’t afford the medications, and insurance wasn’t even trying to help. She died three days later in the hospital.

4th February 2022

A date.

Michael was going on his first date. It was with his neighbour Julia. She was a short, black woman with luscious hair and an infectious smile. She used to come over a lot when Lauren was still alive and became ever-present when she passed away.

This was the best day of his life. He woke up with a little pep in his step. He was going out with Julia. She had planned the entire date for them. They would go to the amusement park and get on the rides. They would ride all day. Then they would go and watch a movie in a theatre. 

Julia loved the movies. 

Michael couldn’t wait. He went to work with a huge smile.

Mary-Anne asked him what was up, and he couldn’t hide his excitement. He was like a little kid who was going to the zoo for the first time. 

Mary-Anne looked excited for him, and then didn’t for whatever reason.

“I’m going on a date!!”

He wore a plain white T-shirt and black sweatpants, with a silver rosary and a bracelet that said “Lauren”. Julia wore a flower dress, and her glasses sat so perfectly on her nose, her eyes had an extra glow in them and...cleavage? This was Michael’s first time ever seeing that. He got really excited.

 They went to the amusement park, but Julia wasn’t tall enough to get on any of the rides. No worries, Michael carried her on his back like a baby. She would kiss his cheeks while on his back, and they spent the night in the park playing the games, eating cotton candy and drinking smoothies. Michael got so many brain freezes that made him lose balance, and he fell, with Julia on his back, onto the floor.

Julia had never seen Michael laugh and smile so hard.

Then it started to rain, and Julia couldn’t find her AirPods. It got lost when they fell. So she suggested they got to the cinema early. She jumped back on his back, and they walked to the cinema.

It wasn’t really a far walk at all, and when they got there, they were screening Julia’s favourite movie.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

They bought tickets and got into the theatre to see empty seats everywhere. They sat at the back. Julia in his arms. 

He couldn’t stop looking at her eyes, then her boobs, then her eyes again. And when she realised how excited he was, she took his hand and placed it gently in her right boob, and they stayed like that till the end of the movie.

Michael carried her on his back again to their apartment building. When they got to the building, she kissed him this time on his lips, and then ran up the stairs like a little girl so excited. Michael just stood there. A tear dropped from his left eye. And a big bright smile spread across his face.

Never had Michael felt so happy.

He loved Julia.

He loved her so much.

19th February 2022

It’s gone.

The iPad is gone.

Michael was just leaving his workplace and realised he couldn’t find his iPad. His heart was racing. He was starting to get itchy. Behind his neck, under his armpits too. He couldn’t stop scratching his head aggressively, and it was making his hair a mess. He started ripping his shirt. His eyes were red and tearing up. 

Not the iPad. Not the iPad. 

He checked everywhere.

The kitchen, 

The dining area, 

The sinks, 

The washrooms, 

Everywhere.

Where was it? He could’ve sworn he was playing the music from his iPad and not his phone because the music was loud. So, where was it?

Find my phone!

He whipped out his phone and opened the Find My Phone app.

West Bay Station?

Okay, okay. That’s not so bad. If it’s at the station, it’ll probably be in the lost and found.

Without a second thought, he ran to the station. His eyes were really starting to tear up now. He couldn’t imagine losing his iPad. It was the only thing that made him feel his aunt was still with him. Pictures of her and him together on it. It still smelled of her too. And she had given it to him when he finished his first year of night school.

Michael got to the station, burnt out and wheezing. But he needed to find his iPad. So he ran into the station head-on.

Michael ran through the glass doors and fell. His face was cut, he was bleeding profusely,  and his arm felt numb and broken. Regardless, he kept running.

He finally got to the lost and found and told the attendant what he was looking for. Only to turn around and see security chasing after him. Still, Michael asked for his iPad, but the desk attendant told him it wasn’t with the lost and found and that she hadn’t received any lost items today. 

At this point, Michael was boiling. He was breathing heavily and hadn’t bothered to stop to clean the blood on his face. On top of that, his shirt was tattered, and

he was holding his right arm in his left hand. Michael grabbed the desk attendant by the collar and started shouting at her.

“Where’s my aunt? Where’s my aunt? Where’s my aunt?”

At this point, the attendant was confused and frightened. Michael started tightening his grip around her neck. He kept asking for his aunt. Security shot at him but missed. His mind wasn’t even there. He kept asking her where his aunt was, but she wasn’t responding. 

She had fallen asleep in his grip. So he beat her head hard with his clenched fists. But she still wasn’t responding, so he just dumped her. 

Security didn’t wanna risk another shot at him because the misfire had hit someone. 

A father who was holding his daughter’s hand. Lying on the floor and barely moving. 

Michael finally left the woman in her pool of blood,  and when he turned to see the chaos around him, his eyes glanced over something. At the opposite end of the station, 

a short woman with slightly wrinkled dark skin and short brown hair.

Could it be?

He started running towards her. More security guards were chasing after him. Michael just kept steaming on and on, and he pushed a guy who was in his way onto the train tracks.

The train conductor could not slow down fast enough and smashed into the man. He was reduced to nothing but chunks of meat. This was an old man, in his sixties.

The station at this point was hell. Everyone was frantic and running for their lives, trying to avoid the madman child looking for his lost aunt.

And as Michael finally got to the end, panting and wheezing, he realised nobody was there.

Michael wept.

He stood there staring outside into the night, and the loud silence engulfed him. While everyone was running around, confused and scared for their lives, pointing at him. He just kept wailing.

She was gone, gone forever.

He didn’t even know what he was doing at the station anymore.

He took out his phone and saw 12 missed calls from Julia and texts that said

Mickey, I’ve been calling you all night. Where are you? Text me soon. kisses.

Followed by

Michael, where the fuck are you? You’re all over the news. You killed someone? Call me now!

Michael read that second text again.

Killed someone?

What is she talking about? 

I didn’t kill anybody

Michael called her.

“Where the fuck are you, Michael?," she said

“I’m at the station, Julie.”

“What? Michael, I can’t hear you”

“I said I'm at the station. Julie?”

“Don’t fucking Julie me! You killed someone, Michael”

“Killed someone? I didn’t kill anyone, Julie. Why are you talking to me like this?”

“Michael, you’re all over the fucking news. There’s a video of you strangling the fucking desk, lady. Michael what the fuck?”

“ I was—I was looking for my iPad.”

“So you killed a woman? Over an iPad? Michael, what is wrong with you?”

“Julie, please”

“Fuck you”

“Julie—“

........

“Michael? Hello? Michael. Can you hear me? Answer me!”

A security guard had a clear shot at him finally and took it.

A bullet straight to his head.

The guards slowly surrounded his body. One of them went towards the bag on his back and opened it up. A colouring book, some pens, a power bank, a bracelet that said “Julia” and an iPad.

Michael Carpenter died on 19th February, 2022.